Feelin' like...

Sorry I've been absent this week. I've been feeling like, well...

It's been kind of a tough week, mainly because I've been recovering from a nasty cold that conveniently started on the first day of my Thanksgiving vacation. It delivered its grand finale more than a week later -- this morning -- when I woke up to find my right ear completely and totally 100 percent clogged. Nothing was coming in -- no sound, no nothing. It was such a miserable feeling, I scheduled an emergency trip to the doc this afternoon. Fortunately, my ear unclogged about five minutes before I was about to walk out the door to the doctor, so I canceled. Now I'm feeling sorta fine. Thanks to Drs. Tobias, Calovich and Buselt for all their guidance.

On top of that, I was Lori at work this week (you might have noticed Mizz Vacation's upswing in blog posts), and it was a strange, strange week. All sorts of odd things happening, and Bob Curtright gave me attitude. Not a good combination.

Have I mentioned I'm 35 now?

And as if all that weren't enough, I've been dealing with the sad news that one of my favorite people, Chris Shull, is moving back to Texas. Soon. I'm caught a little off guard by how sad it's making me.


Next week will be better. Right??

In their element

On Saturday, I slummed it with the sports reporters and photogs to write a fan story at the KU/MU game at Arrowhead. I have some big sporting event experience -- I worked writing fan stories on two KU basketball tournament trips several years ago.

The thing I like best about these assignments is watching my colleagues in their element. I alway see their work in the paper, but it's fun to see what they go through to get it.

Here are Travis and Bo hauling approximately 3,000 pounds of photo equipment through the Arrowhead parking lot. I offered to help...

And here are the Lutzes, Jeff and Bob, hard at work in the press box -- way cramped quarters with a way cool view.

Thanksgiving

We're in Carthage, Mo., at the moment, having Thanksgiving at my parents' new house.


They moved in just short of a week ago, but mom really wanted to have Thanksgiving in her big, new kitchen.


Joining us for cooking and eating: My sister Annie, her husband Pete and their boys Joe and Jack; my mom's sister, Kathy and her two daughters Taylor, 19, and Katie, 17, plus Taylor's boyfriend Galen; and my mom's older sister, Aunt Margaret.


Here I am working on my famous green beans with shallots.

Yum.

Gratuitous cute Norton pic.

Joe got so tired of waiting for the cooking to conclude, he fell asleep right before we ate.

Mom's plate.

Lexi has decided that Thanksgiving is okay with her.


As I type, games have commenced in the dining room.

And Joe is finally getting his dinner.

Sick of gingerbread yet?

Can you take one last blog posting on it?

Suzanne and Hannah and Jack introduced us to this fun and tasty event last year, and we loved it. This year, the little Nutcracker star's jam-packed schedule meant she had to go to the event during Lexi's naptime on Saturday. So we waited until Sunday and invited Kyle to join us.


We got there at 12:25, five minutes before it opened, which was a good thing, because by 1 p.m. there was a line out the door.


We also were lucky because this wonderful volunteer, an older man who is a gingerbread building expert, basically came and put our houses together for us. Anyone who's been knows that part is next to impossible, especially the roof.


Lexi ate more than she decorated. Kyle was right behind her.

Now that's a guilty face.

The finished products, on our mantle and tempting the neighborhood mice, no doubt.

Surprise!

Last night, my very generous friends, directed by Carrie, threw me a surprise birthday party. It was, indeed, a big surprise. I rarely have parties since my birthday (Nov. 24) always falls during Thanksgiving, and I've never had a surprise party thrown for me.

It was a small dinner party that including most of my favorite people, save a few exceptions. (If you weren't there, you are among those exceptions.)


Many things about the party meant a lot to me, including the fact that Bon and Dick did NOT skedaddle early to get to another function.


It was Lori's job to get me there, and she pretended she had tickets for me and Carrie for some hot party. I really didn't ask any questions. I was just happy to be getting out.


These two CLAIMED they were going to the movies.


Dinner included pear and blue cheese salad, sweet potato soup, potatoes, green beans, steak and pumpkin cheesecake. And Bon brought some flowers for our champagne.


We laughed and drank in equal amounts, and I was feeling both this morning.


Joe and Carter, always reliable for some tunes, broke out the guitars late in the evening. Joe had composed a bday song for me that had something to do with getting the hell outta Dodge. I need to hear it again when I'm not under the influence of Bon's champagne flowers.

Oh, she wishes.

Special thanks to Carrie and all my friends who told me bold-faced lies all week.

A tough job, but...

Earlier this week, Joe and I went to Monica's Bundt Cakes (that pretty pink cake store on east Douglas) to serve as judges for her bundt cake contest. I know. Poor us.

I was careful not to eat breakfast that morning, and even avoided gelato temptation that afternoon.

We had to test out 11 different bundts made by some of Monica's customers. Only about four were even in contention.

This is Monica (right) and her head baker. These ladies know bundts.

I think I sort of bullied Joe and Monica and fellow judge Dave Unruh into picking this cake as the winner. It's a blueberry bundt cake with cream cheese frosting. I hope they don't think I'm a total bundthead.

My tree contribution

This one is outside the paper and impresses me because it seems to possess every fall color possible.

Oooooooohhh...

Aaaaaaaahhhhh!

Holiday highlights

Tonight was Bonnie's annual Holiday Highlights fashion show, and this year, it was at the Sedgwick County Historical Museum -- a classy, if not close-quarters, venue.

Honestly, I don't know where she finds the energy. Look in the background -- there's Bon's cute mommy.

It was the third consecutive night of hanging with Carrie, Molly and LAL. And I don't even think we're sick of each other yet. Are we?

The Loris.

The after party at Larkspur. I particularly like Lori B.'s imitation of my picture face.

My side of the duel

I see that Lori has thrown down the blogging gauntlet, and I feel like I must respond. I would have earlier, but other aspects of Friday night had me too distracted.

Such as this...

And this...

And oh dear god this...

But okay, Lori, here's the duel from my perspective. I particularly like the exotic palm plant sprouting from your head. SABOR!!!

Hope you're happy.

Makin' music

Jaime's house is a good place to do that. And this morning, after being treated to frittata and biscuits this morning, Lexi and I got a chance to jam. Special thanks to Opps for the pics.

Look, Jaime, she wore it!

Now we're cookin'

Back from vacation

We got home from our Texas trip late on Monday, and I was amazed by how well Lexi did on her never-ending vehicular journey.

On our final day in Texas, we went to the aquarium in Corpus Christi. Lexi was largely unimpressed, but I did get a couple of cool pics.

To her, a shark is just like a crocodile -- another pest to be overcome while following the map to save Benny the Bull with sticky tape at the gooey geyser.

It's good to be back.

To the beach...

On Sunday, we left San Antonio and drove two hours to Corpus Christi/Padre Island. Lexi's been wanting to see the beach, and this was her big chance.

The rental car doesn't have a DVD player like Lexi's van, but she made do.

At the hotel, Lexi decided she wanted to sleep in a big girl bed and napped on the fold-out couch. This is our first non-crib sleeping event ever.

After the nap, it was beach time. Lexi was a little unsure at first, but she warmed up faster than the gulf in November.


Step one: Build sand castles.

Step two: Test the water. I foolishly assumed it'd be too cold on Nov. 4 to get in the water and didn't pack any swimwear. Bad move.

Again, we made do. We called these clothes our Kansas Wetsuits. They'll never dry before the flight tomorrow.

SENSITIVE MATERIAL XXXX SENSITIVE MATERIAL XXX

On another matter... The reason the concept of hotels works, in my opinion, is that the nice maid comes in and wipes away any evidence that anyone has ever used the room before you. If you had to know, for example, that the bed you were using was last occupied by a horny college student or a pervy old man, well, you might not sleep quite as soundly.

That's why we were as sorry as we were amused to find this behind the fold-out couch our poor toddler is now snoozing upon. Sorry, folks, it was just the case. No DVD.

Censored for your viewing pleasure...